Cry Havoc, and Let Slip the GIFs Of War

Announcing the Bitter War of Memes Contest for Before All Others

Jul 14, 2025

To promote Before All Others: The Cyclopedia of Elven Civilization (launching on Kickstarter this August), Autarch is unleashing the Bitter War of Memes, a contest of creativity, cruelty, and caption-fu fought between knife-ears and fat-beards.

It’s a blend of 50% psychological warfare and 50% marketing promotion that is 100% likely to provoke wrathful grudges that shall endure a thousand years.

How to Enter the Bitter War of Memes

Entering the Bitter War of Memes is as easy as slaying beastmen with a vorpal sword.

Post a meme on X (formerly Twitter) anytime before 11:59PM EDT July 31 2025.
Include both:
- The hashtag #BitterWar
- The tag @_autarch_ or @archon (so I see it)
In the same thread, reply with a link to the Kickstarter preview page for Before All Others .
Hit “Send.” You’re now on the battlefield.

Note: Even if your meme is funnier than a halfling attempting to be heroic, missing any of the three markers above means it never leaves the barracks!

Theme & Content Guidelines

Topic: Entries must relate to the epic enmity between elves and dwarves. They can be ACKS II specific if you want, but they don’t have to be. Feel free to riff on Lord of the Rings, make WWII propaganda posters about the elven menace, weight-loss alchemy aimed at dwarves, or whatever other memetic madness you can imagine.
Art Sources: Entries can use:
- Official ACKS II art;
- Original illustrations, AI renders, cosplay snaps, or cursed Photoshops of me and/or Maximus; and
- Classic viral formats available for fair use and repurposed for fantasy beef.
Tone: Keep it PG-13. No real-world hate, harassment, or copyright-infringing steals. We reserve the right to toss disqualifying content into Mount Doom.

Determining the Winner

Both sides claim the other side started the Bitter War, and both sides claim they finished it. That’s why the Bitter War of Memes will have not one, but two winners — one dwarven winner and one elven!

The Dwarven Winner will be chosen by the cold, impartial algorithm of X. Whichever meme has the most likes by the deadline wins the contest. This superior dwarven approach is not only concrete and objective, it also favors X users with nepotistic clans of supporters who will repost their memes simply out of familial support. As it should be.

The Elven Winner will be chosen by the capricious whim of my wife, supreme arbiter of elven aesthetics, based entirely on her 100% personal opinion of how it makes her feel at that moment. The superior elven approach is not only poetic and emotional, it also favors artistic individualists who flitter onto Twitter like butterflies depositing pollinated memetic beauty. As it should be.

The two winners will be declared and determined in the first week of August. Winners will have their names immortalized as NPCs in Before All Others and will get to commission one interior illustration each to their specifications (within editorial sanity).

Note: A single meme can’t win both trophies, but you may post unlimited entries to chase either—or both—crowns.

Don’t forget that if you're interested in getting early access to Before All Others, you can sign up to become a Conqueror-tier members of the Autarch Patreon. And if you can’t wait to start battling, emperor-tier backers in our Patreon have already gotten full access to Domains at War: Battles computer game and are playtesting it now.

What’s Grinding on ACKS to Grind?

Tonight (July 14th) I’ll be streaming solo on ACKS To Grind as I discuss Before All Others, the Bitter War of Memes, the Domains at War: Battles computer game, and more.

Next Monday, July 21st, I’ll be interviewing author @BrianNeiemeier about the 10th anniversary edition of his book Nethereal, the premier novel in his award-winning Soul Cycle. Brian has already raised over $6,000 on Kickstarter. Be sure to check out the campaign and join the stream next Monday.

Then, on Monday July 28th, I’ll be joined by game designer Josh Peters of Stellagama Publishing. Josh is the creator of The Sword of Cepheus, FTL: Nomad, and a number of related products. He and I will talk about the business of indie publishing outside the D20/5E market segment and the creative challenges of designing science-fiction RPGs in an era when we live in a science-fiction RPG.

Other Announcements of Interest

I’ve got a few other exciting announcements as well:

A new draft of the Treasure Tome has been uploaded for backers. The file, ACKSII Treasure Tome WIP5, is a 326-page full-color PDF. It is now textually complete. The "Miscellaneous Items" are still in copy editing, while the rest of the book is in proof reading. All backer art has been completed and is in the book, while other art is still under development. If you aren’t currently a backer of the ACKS II Treasure Tome, you can get access today at the Kickstarter page.
The ACKS II Revised Rulebook, Judges Journal, and Monstrous Manual PDFs have been updated to correct all known errata. If (for some reason) you don't own these books, you can get the PDFs now at DriveThruRPG. In the more likely case that you already own the PDFs, the updated files will have automatically been uploaded to your DriveThruRPG Library. In addition, the DTRPG Library assets have also been updated to include separate files that summarize the major errata. Be sure to download those if you're working from the print copies, so you'll be able to quickly identify what has changed!
ACKS II is Available Now on the Autarch Emporium. There’s still some copies of ACKS II available for purchase on the Autarch Emporium. They’re selling fast and it won’t be long until the entire first run of these black-and-gold PU leather offset-print books is sold out.

Are You a Patron of the ACKS Patreon?

If you're interested in "what's next" for ACKS II, members of the Patreon are getting monthly updates and sneak previews. One of the best perks of being part of the Patreon is the opportunity to help shape the design process by seeing the earliest drafts. Those who've been with us for the long-term know that Autarch (me, really) listens intently to the community's playtest feedback. If you've never checked out the ACKS Patreon, you can find it here.

Support the Community

Once you’ve signed up for the crowdfunding campaign, head on over to these community links:

Arbiter of Worlds

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